Sub-mmWave sensor fixes driver blind spot

The 24GHz band radar sensor is strategically built into the rear bumper of the vehicle to detect other vehicles likely to enter the driver's blind spot to the rear and side.

Denso has developed a 24GHz submillimetre-wave rear and side radar sensor for vehicle safety systems.

The sensor, which is used in the 2018 Toyota Camry, is strategically built into the rear bumper of the vehicle to detect other vehicles likely to enter the driver's blind spot to the rear and side, as well as vehicles approaching from the rear on the left and right when reversing, according to Denso.

The sensor is part of a larger system that helps drivers identify and navigate around other vehicles when changing lanes or reversing out of a parking space and controls the autonomous emergency braking function to avoid imminent collisions.

To enable accurate detection whether moving forward or reversing, a phase shifter switches the sensing direction and range of the submillimetre-wave radar sensor, according to the company. Radio wave transmission and receiving and phase shifter functions also run through separate integrated circuits to reduce the size of the sensor.